36

Moving In

It was on the sixteenth that Lombard and Vera went out for lunch to have a talk.

"I've been thinking," said Lombard as he and Vera waited for their orders to be served. "Why should we let the opinions of our neighbours affect our relationship? Who cares what they say as long as we're in love?"

"What are you saying exactly?" asked Vera.

"Well, Vera," said Lombard, leaning in a bit closer "I think it's time we moved in together."

"Now?"

"Sure, why not? It isn't sinful as long as we're in love, right? And even if it is," he grinned that wolf-like grin of his, "I've always been a sinful man."

"What if word eventually gets back to my father?"

"We'll assure him that we're not sleeping together...which is true in a sense. Because we won't get up to our naughty habits every night; just once a month, like we agreed."

"Philip! There are people nearby!"

"If they're listening in on us describing what we like to do in private, they're perverts." He then said, "If it makes you feel better, how about we tell him shortly after Christmas so as not to spoil the festive mood of things—perhaps at Evelyn's house for that gathering to celebrate her and Richard's fifth anniversary and the upcoming new year?"

"Perhaps," said Vera thoughtfully. "I suppose moving in can't hurt if it'll bring us closer...should we move into the other's house, or find a new house somewhere?"

"Actually," said Lombard, "I was looking at houses the other day and there's a pretty decent one in the same neighbourhood as Evelyn and Richard, but a few blocks down. I'll show it to you tomorrow..."

It was not a mansion, but it was not a slave's home either. It was a nice, simple, one-story house similar to the former homes of Lombard and Vera in terms of where most of everything was, except with a much bigger bedroom ideal for fitting in a bed for two, a guest room, a kitchen and dining room, two bathrooms, and a study. The walls weren't the same depressing cream-beige colours, but a nice, robin's egg blue.

Yes, it was the ideal house for Lombard and Vera to live in for the next several months of their engagement, perhaps even for the next few years of their marriage.

And so it was that, after a bit of paperwork with the estate agent, Lombard and Vera found themselves packing up from their former homes and moving as much as they could with the help of Evelyn and Richard.

"It's a good thing father isn't here, or else he'd have a heart attack!" remarked Evelyn as she helped make up the blankets of the bed into the master bedroom.

"Especially if he knew just how passionate Philip and I got on Indian Island," added Vera, not really thinking about what she was saying as she smoothed out her end.

"What?!"

Evelyn dropped her end of the top layer. She was looking at Vera with wide eyes. "You didn't."

Vera's cheeks turned a faint paink.

"Vera. If father knew..."

"And he's not going to know," said Vera. "Because we're not going to tell him."

Evelyn kept opening and closing her jaw, trying to think of the right reply to that. It seemed almost impossible to her that her baby sister was no longer a virgin.

Before she was married, too!

Evelyn finally managed to say one thing: "You're bad."

Vera burst out laughing. "Well, your reaction was better than I expected! And for your information, it was absolutely wonderful and I wouldn't have wanted to do it with anyone but Philip. Except Hugo, but that was years ago and I'm over him now and...and..."

Suddenly, Vera felt a bit lightheaded. She lay down on the bed and sighed, "You'll have to excuse me, Evelyn. I'm a bit dizzy."

"And so am I!" remarked Evelyn before leaving.

Vera closed her eyes. Within a few minutes, the dizzy feeling passed. Was it the brief mentioning of Hugo that had made her dizzy?

Or was it just exhaustion from the move?

Vera opened up her eyes and saw Philip standing above her, smiling. "Well, Vera, everything's unpacked and in its place," he said. He lay down next to Vera and chuckled, "I'm not sure if your sister really likes me anymore. She looked pretty shocked when she came out of your room and when I asked her why she looked as though she had seen a ghost, she muttered something about how it was my fault you're no longer a virgin."

"I'm afraid I told her without really thinking," said Vera guiltily.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about your sister telling your father," said Lombard. "The two of you are pretty close. I'm sure she'd never tell your father any of your secrets."

Vera got the feeling that Lombard was lightly hinting at something else...and then a sudden feeling of nausea. She shivered, and the wave of nausea passed just as quickly as it had arrived. When she noticed Lombard looking at her in concern, she smiled and snuggled up a bit closer to him.

Little did she know her condition was about to worsen...

A/N: So...first chapter of 2009! Hope you enjoyed it! Hate to leave you on a cliffy...no wait, I actually love leaving you on a cliffy because I'm evil that way.